Is “Tradition” Just Corporate Code for “We’re Too Scared to Change?”
It’s juleboard season, an easy event to set up - book a venue, order food, don’t forget the wine, send invites! Happy days!
For a juleboard, it is tradition to come together for an evening to laugh, look back on the year, eat great food and get drunk! In the UK, we call this going ‘OUT out’, in the US, it's ‘on the town’, in South Africa, it’s ‘a lekker night out’, and it's ‘out on the piss’ in Australia. It's tradition, it's the perfect night out, and the only way to celebrate an amazing year with colleagues, right?
But what is tradition, who starts it, when does it work, and can it ever let us down?
Bringing people together and creating spaces people want to be in is HARD! Sometimes it’s easier to stay safe in the “it’s what we’ve always done,” but that’s not leadership, that’s autopilot. So, what can we do about it? Let's take a look!
We treat everyone the same. Does that sound like you’ve got it covered? With this, you have no special benefits; everyone gets the same family-style menu, access to wine, beers and sodas and dedicated time to catch up in one room with all of their colleagues. The big question here is: are all your employees the same? The likelihood is that they are not! So, by taking a one-size-fits-all approach to gatherings, you are probably leaving people on the sidelines without even realising it. What can be sacred to some can be scary to others!
| Pain Point | For who |
|---|---|
| Time of day |
|
| One Room, Party Party | One large room with everyone in it can be overwhelming for people with sound sensitivities, neurodiversities, introverted people |
| Drinks drinks drinks |
|
| Seated / family style dinner | People with intolerances, allergies, religious or dietary preferences may feel like they have to single themselves out for alternative meals or sometimes go hungry |
| Event Name | Juleboard - while the idea of a winter party seems neutral, the name Jul can make people feel unwelcome |
Culture curation tips:
💡Get people involved - Get people involved in the planning for the next event, start a party planning committee and ask your team what they actually want.
💡Know your team - Everyone is different and like to mingle, play, have fun and laugh in completely different ways. If you’re not sure how your team best has fun, take a look at this adult play style quiz (not THAT kind) to see how your team wants to interact and then build spaces with that in mind!
💡Event type - Step outside just food and drink. Add in activities, games, quizzes, elements of interaction and parallel play. Don't worry, we're not saying do a 90s style away day, but take a look at a glass blowing workshop, reading circle, go karting, painting and premium hot chocolates
💡The physical space - try to incorporate quiet zones or different rooms with different functions, to give people the space to turn up unapologetically.
💡Give options - give people the knowledge that they can skip this party. Make it clear that not attending the social events does not impact growth and appreciation in the company
💡Make it neutral - which is different to everyone is treated the same. Maybe we can move towards a winter party / or winter gatherings. And julebord? Let’s stop pretending it’s neutral.
What to do now!
Company culture isn't pie, we promise it won't run out - lets add more!
Small win - Add in a new element to your next event, either a chill zone, quiz, party games or video games corner.
Medium win - Send out the form to your teams and see how they play and take that into account in 2026
Longer term win - Switch up styles and names. Meet your team where they are at!
If you need any help fine tuning your employee experiences like events, let us know! We know people and love curating spaces that your employees will enjoy, we would love to spar with you!
*This article was written by Umbrella consultants Kim Hale & Royce Mason